The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-12
THE OLD KICKER.
Peck's Sun.

of the street car line, with which he found fault constantly, noticed lately that he did not kick so much about delayed cars and poor accommoda- tions, The time had been when, if car was minute late he would enter tain the passengers all the way down town about the soulless monopoly that was fattening on the public, lay ing up money and causing people to stand up on account of lack of cars, bVt lately he had stood up and hung o8 to strap, and smiled, and when somebody grumbled about not having a seat the old kicker would look at him with frown. The time had been when, if the kicker had to stand on a corner minute or two waiting for q car, he would walk up and down the sidewalk, pounding his cane on the boards, and swear till the atmosphere was blue, and when he finally got a car he would abuse the president aLd directors like pickpotkets, and call Il . stockholders highway robbers. But when the conversation turned on street car matters lately, the old kicker had attempted toexplain delays in plaus- ible manner and the passengers de- cided to draw him out, and see what it was that had changed his views. So one morning when he got on the car the insurance man pulled out paper and said;
 "We are going to present petition to the street car company, asking for certain reforms and the addition of comforts; will you sign itp"
 "Well, l don't know" said the old kicker, as he put on his glasses and glanced over the paper. "What re- forms do you want? Don't the man. agement of this company suit you? If you don't like the way this line is run why don't you walk?"
 "But, you know," said the board of trade man, "that we want conductors on the cars. We don't want to go to hole in the door and get change from the driver and have to pay our own fare. We want to sit down and have conductor come and collect the fare. You know, yourself, that it is an outrage to compel us to visit the driver for change, besides it is hard on the driver. You have complained about it yourself, lots of times"
 'I never complained about it once," said the old kicker, blushing and hand- ing the paper back without his sigma ture. "It isn't much trouble to pay your own fare, and the driver has plenty of time to give you change. A conductor would be in the way, and would be an unnecessary expense to the company"
 "Well, you have changed your tune nightly" said the drummer. "It isn't a month since you sat in your seat in the car and swore you would never put your lare in the box, and you made the driver stop the car and offer to bounce you if you didn't pay, and you said the president of the road ought to be burned in efficacy One day in crowd somebody stepped on your corn, and you were going to see the mayor and have the charter taken away from the company. Your brain is all wrong. You have been tam pered with"
 "Yes, and last month he wanted us to boycott the road, by all walking down town," said the floor walker. "You kicked because you couldn't get tickets enough for dollar, and put in a lead nickel one morning, and when the driver asked you to put up a good nickel you wanted to mob him. Say, you are off your base, old man."
 "No, ain't off my base," said the old kicker. "I know what I am about. You have heard the expression, Tt makes difference whose OK is gOuged, , haven't you? We'll, heretofore the way I have felt towards the street railroad is well expressed in your quotations from my remarks. have been willing to do anything that would show my utter contempt for the owners and managers of this road. felt that they were laying up treasures, where moth nor rust doth not corrupt, and didn't care a conti- mental what we said about it. felt that all they wanted was the earth, in the shape of nickels, and the less ex- pense they went to for running the cars the more money they could make. There was no satisfaction in anything except kicking and swearing, and did my part. But change has come over the spirit of my dream, as you have noticed. One day friend of mine, whom I noticed never kicked any at the management of the com pany, got hard up and wanted to raise come money, and he offered to sell me hundred shares of stock in the street car line at . sacrifice. asked him il 1t was good and he said 1t paid good dividend. I took 1t, and, do you know